OUHSD board OKs layoffs for teachers, staff

OROVILLE — The governing board of Oroville Union High School district was grim-faced and quiet Wednesday as they approved actions laying off a total of 31.67 certificated and classified employees.

Of those, 15.40 are for certificated employees and 16.27 are classified employees.

By law, teachers and other certificated employees have to receive layoff notices for the next school year by March 15.

Many of the layoffs were for jobs at Oroville Adult Education, which has a questionable future because district officials don't know whether control over adult education will be given to community colleges.

Other layoffs were to alternative education and Las Plumas and Oroville high schools, but for certificated staff, those layoffs were of sections in each subject.

Oroville Adult Education was also hit hard among classified services layoffs affecting a para-educator, two administrative secretaries and a few hours for support staff.

But other classified services were hit hard, too, such as 4.75 F.T.E. for a para-educator, one full-time universal support staff and three outreach consultants.

No one from the community gave input on the reductions of certificated employees.

District Superintendent Corey Willenberg said those proposed cuts were due to unknown funding, declining enrollment and a reduction in categorical funding.

The board unanimously approved the 15.40 F.T.E. layoffs without comment.

On the item to lay off classified services, Willenberg explained to the board and audience that his recommendation was due to a reduction in categorical funding and the possible elimination of adult education.

Before the board entered a motion, two women tried to save the outreach consultant job at Prospect High School.

District math teacher Robin Zanon addressed the board on behalf of the outreach consultant by reading letters from other teachers.

One letter stated how the consultant provides a safety net for students and that it would be students who would suffer from the cuts.

"Their basic needs will not be met, at risk students will fall through the cracks and students will (drop out)," read Zanon from a letter written by teacher Leslie Granka.

A counselor wrote in another letter that Prospect is the last stop for at-risk students, and without the consultants, students will drop out, become homeless and continue negative patterns.

Morris said when she was first hired, she hoped to stay a couple of years, but she has been at Prospect for eight years now.

Before hiring on at Prospect, she was a police officer for 10 years, then decided to go back to school and get a degree.

"I fell in love with this job," she said. "I felt I could make more of a difference as an outreach consultant than I could in the classroom."

Morris said each day she has the chance to change lives and save lives, and provides students with a safe place to go and to be listened to.

"What I do every day is give them hope," she said.

Although the audience applauded Morris when she finished, trustee David Bruce moved to approve the recommendation without any changes.

Before voting, trustee Craig Domeyer commented that the district is looking at a $2 million deficit in program funding.

"If there was a way to project funding for the next year, we'd be in a different situation," Domeyer said. "The governor has not let us know... We are in a position we don't know what the funding will be."

He added that students will no doubt suffer for the changes.

Trustee Martin Sudicky said he recalls that last November when voters approved Proposition 30, it was believed the temporary tax increase was going to solve schools' problems.

"It's tragic we're here today... It's going to affect our students," Sudicky continued. "I assumed the bleeding would slow, at least a little bit, but here we are. There is no plus side to this, but there has to be an outcome, unfortunately."

A handout listing 2013-14 budget projections was provided at the meeting. Besides the problems already mentioned, OUHSD's cost of health benefits is $3.3 million; benefits are predicted to increase next year by double digits; and federal categorical programs will likely be reduced by 5.9 percent. The state may also change the way school funding is calculated and dispersed.